Sillage
by M.L. Fox
Summary: Final day of Jihyun/MC Week: First Love. On the day before his exhibition opened, V finds MC staring up at his work with tears in her eyes. It was a reaction he never saw before. So he approached her to find out why.


**Sillage**

The day before the exhibition, he saw her for the first time.

She stood before _Everlasting_ , one of his works—a photograph where the sun was the centrepiece. There were only ever two reactions to this specific piece: blank awe or exaggerated understanding. She showed neither, shedding tears instead. It was such an unusual reaction that it deeply struck him. Before he even thought about it he was already approaching her.

"There you are! We have to do some inventory—are you okay?"

He froze. One of the gallery staff reached her first. He observed as she wiped her eyes and then faced her co-worker with a shaky smile. V blinked. The colour of her eyes was a deep brown and almost hidden by her fringe. Despite the vulnerability of her expression the kindness of her face was unmistakeable. "Sorry—I'm okay."

"What happened?"

She faced the piece again. Her hair was long, tied in a high ponytail. As V continued to watch something stirred in his chest. The honesty of her emotions made her ethereal somehow. "This got me all emotional."

Her co-worker frowned and looked at the photo too. "Because it's beautiful?"

"Because it's lonely."

It was as if the floor dropped from underneath his feet. Soon enough the two walked off without his intervention. For almost a minute he stood, mind empty of everything except her words. It echoed endlessly, gripping him in a way that was excruciating. Slowly, he ambled towards his work, pausing as he caught the faintest trace of floral perfume. He gazed towards the direction she walked to and then shook his head. Then, he looked up at _Everlasting_.

It was mountains and a flower field, bathed in the gentle rays of the sun. Upon taking this he thought of his mother, of her love. Unconditional, pure, and persistent in the face of rejection. He wanted to convey that encompassing warmth, that selfless charity. Was it lonely? That wasn't his intent.

But somehow he couldn't forget her words.

* * *

His exhibition opened two weeks ago.

She continued to visit _Everlasting_.

Fortunately, she no longer cried—though, her expression still showed vulnerability and pain. Was it still lonely for her? Did his work _really_ inflict such painful expression? Ever since that first time he desired to learn from her, to understand why she saw loneliness in a piece meant to convey love. The problem was that he didn't know to approach her. There was something about her that was unreachable.

Time passed as he struggled. Though his questions remained unanswered he learned things _about_ her—like the fact that she worked at the gallery four times a week. During each of those days her hairstyle changed. She wasn't just kind in looks; she treated everything in her care with gentleness. Around her was an aura of charm that had people flocking to her like bees. She seemed down to earth, but at the same time unreal.

The fourth week of the exhibition dawned. Finally, he gathered his courage. Once again, she stood before _Everlasting_. It was a quiet day with only a few guests on his floor. She was alone—the perfect opportunity. He walked toward her, once again catching the scent of floral perfume when he was near enough. "Hello."

She jumped. When she faced him, though, she was smiling. "May I help you?"

"I don't mean to be rude," he began.

"Yes?"

"I just noticed that you've been staring at this for a while now." He gestured at the photo.

Her smile fell slightly. "Oh. That's… creepy."

"I'm so sorry. That was not my intent."

"Well…" she crossed her arms. "Who are you?"

"I'm V."

 _Now_ she looked blank. "Not… the photographer… of this exhibition?"

"Yes."

Covering her mouth, she shook her head. "Oh no, I am so sorry!"

"It's fine," he assured her.

"I didn't realise."

"Please, it's okay." He flustered her. What should he do? "Please. I appreciate your honesty."

"Really?" she dropped her hand, eyeing him warily.

"Of course."

"Still, I apologise," she sighed and straightened her back. "How can I help, sir?"

"V, please." He smiled, relieved that she returned it. "I want to ask something—if it's okay."

"Sure."

"I overheard you say that this work is lonely." As he turned to _Everlasting_ he caught dismay flash across her face. Pretending not to notice he looked upon the piece. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't see it; though he understood that it was his bias as the photographer. He wanted to hear her perspective. "I'd like to know why."

"Oh… uhm…" he turned to her and found her looking at the photo too. She grimaced and he sensed her hesitation. Was he too hasty and forward? Even now, he eagerly awaited her response. Breathing deeply, he calmed himself. "Just… I feel the isolation. It's as if the sun gazes at the earth, longing to be a part of it."

 _Wanting to be part of the earth?_ "It looks like that?"

"I'm so sorry. It's just my interpretation." Wincing, she faced him.

"Please don't apologise, they are valid opinions."

She nodded with a sigh. "Also, I'm familiar with such things so… perhaps I see it everywhere."

"I see." _That_ could be it. He captured this exact scene to show the warm rays of the sun, how it bathed the field with light and love. Loneliness was not part of the composition. She could just be seeing it everywhere. "But you also see love, don't you?"

"Yes." She nodded. "But it's part of it. It's a… last chance to reach out in the hopes that someone would grab hold—" she stopped and glanced at him in panic. With reddening cheeks, she gesticulated wildly as she blurted a flurry of explanations. "I'm not saying that's what _you_ feel—I mean, it could be, but it's _my_ interpretation. I'm projecting. And, you know, I just work here so I know nothing meaningful about art so... you know."

"So you _do_ work here," he replied, now smiling gently to ease her nerves. Perhaps dropping the subject would be best.

She flinched. "Please, don't get me fired."

"Please, don't worry," he assured her. "I won't do that."

"Thank you."

"Erm… have you always worked here?"

"Oh… no. I work here part-time every summer—when my regular work closes."

"Ah. And your regular work is…?"

"Teaching. I'm a music teacher."

 _Music_. V's breath hitched. What coincidence. He stared at her, now a million thoughts running through his mind. She also stared at him. Though no words passed between them there seemed to be an understanding. Or… was that just him seeing her in a different light?

"Oh good, you're here. The director wants us to look over the guest lists."

They both jumped at the voice. She peeked over his shoulder and he followed her gaze. It was her co-worker, the same one that fetched her weeks ago. "All right."

Her co-worker then grinned at him. "All right, Mr. Kim?"

He flushed. "Er… yes, thank you."

"Well, V, I hope you take care of yourself."

Returning to her, he found that she smiled at him brightly. "Oh, yes… thank you. You too."

At that, she left with her workmate. The trace of floral perfume lingered in the space she previously occupied. He looked upon _Everlasting_ again, now frowning. Such a bleak view... what a novel experience this was. It contrasted with his intent. Always his goal was to ensure his audience felt the love he poured into his works. But not everyone was the same. As she said, it was just her interpretation.

So why did it affect him so much?

Was he offended? He didn't feel it. Her opinions and thoughts were valid. Perhaps it was because she saw what she saw instead of anything else and even tied his intent with her worldview. In his memory no one had ever said such things about his work—well, nothing so desolate, anyway.

Okay. Perhaps he was a bit offended.

* * *

She wasn't there the next day.

The following week he was certain she left.

She must have returned to her regular job. How remiss of him to not ask her name. Though if he asked the gallery staff they could give it to him. Maybe. He looked up at _Everlasting_ , still trying to see what she saw. Should he? What he learned from her… he couldn't deny that it shook him in some way. Was it something he wanted to experience again?

Time flew by since her departure. Her words continued to echo in V's mind. Occasionally, he'd glance at _Everlasting_ and feel disappointed to not see her there. The next summer seemed so far away. There was not even a guarantee he'd see her again. His question remained wholly unanswered, but it did allow him to consider some things. Perhaps something within him _was_ lonely. Perhaps.

Eight weeks after his exhibition opened.

V visited his floor and was surprised to find someone standing before _Everlasting_. But it wasn't her. It was another woman—with blonde hair and wearing a beige dress just below her knees. Her face was also kind and she wore a beatific smile. She wasn't crying. What did she think of his work? He wanted to know. However, before he could reach her she left. He stopped at where she stood and caught a faint trail of perfume—floral too, but subtler.

He glanced at the escalators and saw her descending.

Tomorrow.

If she visited again tomorrow… he'd talk to her.

* * *

1\. You can find more lovely Jihyun/MC creations at the **jihyunmcweek** blog.

2\. Sillage is a term used to describe a scented trail left by the fragrance wearer. I included the literal meaning in the story, but also want the concept to be central to the story as a whole.

3\. Yeah, I'm late in uploading this and I'm doing it in reverse order. Uploading in many platforms overwhelmed me and with this particular site I had to do ten thousand more things just to upload. So I just stuck with AO3 and Tumblr. My apologies! But at least I got here.

4\. I had great fun writing for Jihyun/MC week. A daily, consistent writing habit was something I haven't done since university, which was 2 or 3 years ago, so it was interesting to challenge myself in this manner. It was also good to express all the love I have for Jihyun/MC and Jihyun in general (because he deserves love, let's be honest).

And that's it! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed. As always, feedback is appreciated!


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